Wire-stretcher.



H. R. AYER.

W TRI-ITC APPLICAT :LED .8,1915.

1,186,368. Patented June 6, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

HOWARD R, AYER, OF UNDERI-IILLVERMONT.

WIRE-STRETCHER.

Application led December 8, 1915.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD It. AYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Underhill, in the county of Chittenden and State of Vermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in IVire-Stretchers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in devices for stretching wire, either for erecting a wire fence or for repairing the runners of the fence.

The primary object of the invention is to construct a devicelof this class whereby a wire runner may be grasped and stretched to the desired degree by one hand of an operator and held in such stretched to taut condition to permit of the operator securing the wire to the post, whereby only a single operator may be employed for both stretching and securing the wire.

Another object of the invention is the construction of a device of this class which may be operated to stretch a wire in either direction without necessitating' the rearrangement of the parts, as well as to provide the said structure with a hook having a pair of oppositely disposed bills either of which may be drawn to engage with the post to sustain the stretcher while the wire is being attached to the post.

IVith the above recited objects in view, the improvement resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view illustrating the application of the improvement, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the improvement. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the dog.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the numeral 1 designates my improved stretcher in its entirety.

The stretcher 1 includes a substantially rectangular member or shank 2 having one of its ends rounded to provide a handle 3 and its opposite end widened, as at 3', to provide what I shall term a head. The head 3 has its inner end beveled in opposite directions from its center to provide a jaw having opposite faces l and 5 respectively which have a metal reinforcement 6, and in order to further reinforce the jaw portion of the head 3 I insert a bolt 7 centrally of the jaw, the same having its head received within the countersink in the said jaw and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1916.

Serial No. 65,828.

its portion, which extends below the lower edge of the device being provi-ded with 'a securing nut S. Secured upon the shank 2 upon the face thereof provided with the head 3, and adjacent the juncture with the handle 3 is the longitudinal foot portion 9 of an angular bracket 10. The angular portion is preferably rounded outwardly, as at 11, and the end of the longitudinal member of the bracket is provided with an opening which registers with an opening in the shank 2, a bolt `13 passing through the registering openings as well as through a central opening formed in a dog 14, a nut 15 securing the bolt upon the bracket. The dog lll is rectangular in cross section, and has its ends arranged an equal distance from its pivot, and one side of the dog is beveled or inclined toward the said ends, as indicated by the numerals 16 and 17. The opposite ends of the dog are thus provided with sharpened working edges, and the outer portions of the edges of the dog are preferably rounded upwardly from what may be termed the top of the dog proper, providing the working faces or edges of the same of a greater width than at any other portion of the dog, and the said sharpened edges are preferably each centrally p rovided with a longitudinally extending depression extending from the beveled ends of the said jaws. The dog may be swung to bring one ofits ends to engage with the face t of the jaw or its other end against the other face 5 of the said j aw, in accordance with the direction which the wire W is to be stretched, and in operating the device the wire is brought against one of the faces of the jaw, the dog swung so that one of its sharpened edges will Contact with the said wire and held in such contact by the fore-finger of the operator, the remainder of the operators hand grasping the handle, while the end of the shank provided with the head 3 is arranged against a post l?, the operator swinging the device around the said post until the wire is drawn fully taut.

The numeral 18 designates a bolt which passes through the end of the device provided with the head 3, and which is adapted to serve as a pivot for the oppositely disposed arms formed upon the U-shaped end of a hook 19. This hook is provided with two oppositely disposed bills which are arranged at an angle with respect to the pivoted arms of the book and one of the said bills may be arranged upon the post P and the structure rotated upon the pivotal connection of the hoek with the members if desired. in either event after the wire has been drawn suiheiently taut one oie. the bills of 'the hook is forced into biting engagement with the post and the structure propel' sustained thereby, so that the operator may release the structure and secure the strand of wire l? te the post P.

'in tightening the runners or strands of an erected fence it is inerely necessary7 that the taples of, say, about every fifth post be loesened or removed, and the device is applied te the wire runner as previously described a d cprated as set forth, when a slack wire will be readily tightened aifter which the fasteners are repiaeed.

Freni the above description, the simplicity of the device. as well as the advantages of the improvement wiil7 it is thought, be perfeetl;7 apparent te these slrilied in the art to which such invention impertains without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what claiin is:

l. l wire stretcher provided with a rectangular ineniber including a shank, a handle and a head, the said head having a V- shaped end arranged over the shank and providing "a .'s and a dog having its opposite ends bei'eled on the saine side of the dog to provide two sharpened edges., the said dog being centrally piveted to the shanh adapted to be swung to engage with the aw,

and a hook having a U-shaped end pivotally connected with the head, said hook having oppositelj,7 disposed bills which are arranged. at an angle te the pivoted arms.

3. A wire stretcher including a head having a V-shaped inner end providing the saine with jaws, a reinforcing plate upon the jaws, a bracket upon the stretcher, an elongated rectangular dog centrall7 pivoted to the bracket, said dog having one of 'its faces beveled toward its ends to provide the said ends with sharpened edges, the outer face of the dog at the ends being widened7 the said ends being provided with transverse depressions, and one of the said ends HUWARD R. AYER. 1Witnesses W. SCOTT NAY, C. E. rinn.

Copies oi this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of latent: "Washington, D. C. 

